Grateful
by momoxtoshiro
Summary: Knowing she had an audience now, Weiss decided to make it worth Blake's wile. The heiress began to sing softly, her voice echoing about the tiled walls of the room, carried out alongside the lapping of the slightly-disturbed water. [Happy RWBY Tuesday!]


**A simple little idea that's been done to death and back again. Nothing special, sadly. But I wanted to dedicate something to my amazing roleplay and cosplay partners Ash (kokkoro), Aaron (a-ravvy), and Kimmy (himchanscutiebooty). They're my Blakes! ^~^**

**Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

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Grateful

The day was warm, bright sunlight filtering beneath the canopy of foliage, providing shade that was much-appreciated.

Blake sat with her back against a tree, eyes scanning over the lines of text in her book; sometimes, the light was too much for her sensitive eyes against the white pages, but every so often the leaves would dance and the shadows would shift just right so that it did not sting and make her vision bleary.

It was their day off, so to speak, and Ruby and Yang had gone to Vale on errands - and probably to shop for weapon supplies, if the younger of the two had anything to say about it.

Naturally, Blake decided to spend her free time outside with a good story and the rustle of the leaves overhead.

And naturally, her girlfriend decided to spend it training.

She could hear Weiss not far off amongst the trees; the rush of air from Myrtenaster combined with the breeze sounded ultimately like shattering ice fragments. Occasionally, she would hear grunts of effort, or huffs of accomplishment, but Blake had to make sure the former sounds did not become too frequent.

Presently, she could tell by the distant sounds that Weiss was starting to tire; the rushes of air between her bursts of speed were becoming slower and with more time in between. Sometimes, Weiss would get so indulged in her training she would not realize just how enervated she was until her legs gave out on her. Blake longed to prevent issues like that before things got so bad.

Lifting her head, she directed her voice in the direction she knew her girlfriend to be in.

"Weiss! You should take a break!"

At her call, the rushes of air came to a halt. The Faunus girl's ears twitched expectantly beneath her bow as she waited. Weiss emerged not a moment later, dusting off her combat skirt, seeming particularly miffed by a tear on one of the ends of her sleeve.

"What happened?" Blake wondered, shifting over a bit to make room.

"It got snagged on a branch." With a mutter, Weiss placed Myrtenaster in the grass as she leaned against the trunk and slumped down beside her teammate. She huffed, pressing her cheek to Blake's shoulder with a pout.

"That's too bad," Blake chuckled. "But don't worry. I'll mend it for you later tonight."

"You're a savior, Blake Belladonna," Weiss murmured appreciatively.

"And _you_ work too hard," Blake scolded, slipping her arm around Weiss's waist. "Do you ever stop to relax?"

"Not if there's training that could be done. It's such perfect weather. How could I let it go to waste?"

"You know what else it's perfect weather for?" Blake inquired.

"What would that be?"

"A date."

Weiss was silent.

"Seriously, Weiss," Blake sighed. "Training and studying is all well and good. But it's also important to rest and take some _real_ time off. If you keep this up, you're going to get yourself sick no matter how badly I try to prevent it."

"Fine," the heiress gave in. She knew by now there was no use in arguing with Blake; when agitated, the Faunus girl often bested Weiss in terms of stubbornness. "On our next day off, we'll go on a date. I promise."

Blake seemed satisfied with the answer and nodded in approval.

"However, for today..." Weiss went on, sliding closer. "I think I'd be just fine with simply enjoying the air like this."

"Same here." Blake closed her book and put it aside. She was about to shut her eyes until she felt Weiss reach up, fingers gently tugging at the ribbon atop her head.

"Why do you still have this on?" she huffed. "Your fur's going to get messy if you don't let your ears free every now and again."

"Sorry. Old habits, I guess."

With a thoughtful hum, Weiss strained onto her knees, angling Blake's head down to her so she may kiss each of her Faunus ears. The warm, black fur tickled her nose and she failed to suppress a slight giggle.

Blake smirked at the girlish sound, kissing Weiss's collar in return. The heiress's skin was warm from her exercises, so Blake let a bit of her aura flow in an effort to cool her off. Almost instantly, the effects of the action resonated throughout Weiss's body, and the aches in her sore muscles started to loosen.

"See?" Blake said, almost smugly. "You're exhausted. So just take it easy."

"Not just yet." Weiss had to pull away before she got too enveloped in the elated sensation. "I've got a few more techniques I want to practice."

"Weiss-" Blake's shoulders slumped as her girlfriend stood again.

"Oh, come now. I'll only be ten more minutes at most this time. After that, I'm all yours for the rest of the afternoon." Weiss leaned down, tilted Blake's chin up with her index finger, and kissed her briefly.

"Alright." Blake waved her off, seeming satisfied with the compensation. "But if you keep me waiting any longer than ten minutes, I'm going to have to come out there and stop you myself."

"You have my word," Weiss vowed with a slight bow.

She turned her back, and Blake silently watched her retreat into the forest. With a hopeless sigh, she let Weiss go – for now.

Picking up her book once more, Blake located her marker and immersed herself in the story anew. In the corner of her mind though, she was counting minutes, making sure Weiss would not be away longer than she said she would.

She flipped through a few more pages of her book, enjoying the fresh air filling her lungs alongside the musky scent of the paper pages, the occasional breeze moving the leaves overhead and allowing a splash of sunlight to warm the bare skin of her arms.

At last, she closed her book, stretching out her legs and pulling her arms above her head, feeling a few pops in her shoulders.

Weiss was late.

Blake got to her feet, scooping up her book and heading off in the direction she had seen her girlfriend go before.

"Weiss? Your time's up," she called.

The unmistakable skidding of dirt could be heard, along with the cracking of branches, the sprinkle of Dust-

"Ouch!"

-the cry of pain.

"Weiss?" Blake quickened her pace and raced forward, rounding a tree and digging her heels into the dirt to stop herself.

Weiss was before her, lying on her side in the grass, huffing as she propped herself up and reached for her rapier. When the heiress noticed Blake standing there, her embarrassment was obvious.

"Oh, wonderful. After all this time performing beautifully, you have to come in the _only_ time I slip up. Literally." She pushed herself up into a sitting position and began brushing the grit off her clothes.

Blake sighed, relieved she appeared to be unhurt.

"That's a line I'd expect from Yang," she chuckled.

Blake walked over and offered her hand down to her girlfriend. Weiss huffed again, blowing her bangs out of her eyes in the process. She slipped her right hand into Blake's, using her left to dig Myrtenaster's tip into the soil to help herself up.

"Whatever. Let's just head back. After all, I did promise you I'd- oof!" Weiss stumbled, feeling a sharp pain in her ankle when she tried to stand. Blake's quick reflexes were all that saved her from crashing to the ground again.

"Weiss! Are you okay?"

"Ah-" Weiss lifted her sore foot, maintaining her balance on the other as she leaned into Blake. "Perfect. Just what I need."

"Let me see if I can help." Carefully, Blake helped Weiss back down to the ground, kneeling beside her, making sure not to jostle her injured ankle. The Faunus girl moved her hands down past Weiss's shin, feeling her jolt and stiffen. "Sorry," she murmured, taking care to be more gentle. She could feel a bit of swelling, and sent her aura out in a small wave.

Weiss groaned as the throbs of pain crept up her leg, but seconds later, a cooling sensation curled around her ankle. She sighed as a bit of the stiffness subsided, but when she moved her foot again experimentally, it still ached too much for her to say it was completely better.

A minute later, Blake sat back with a sigh and recoiled her hands into her lap. "That's the best I can do. I think it's sprained."

"Fantastic," Weiss grumbled. "And it happened on my last practice move."

"Well, maybe next time you should just stop training when I suggest instead of going back for ten more minutes." Blake felt she could be a little smug for once.

Amazingly, Weiss did not argue. In fact, she agreed.

"Fine. I get it. I guess I deserved this."

"And now..." Blake moved back up to her side and let Weiss lean against her. "You won't be able to train for at least another two days until your aura can fully heal that sprain. You'll have to stay in bed and let me take care of you. You might even have to miss classes on Monday..."

That truly seemed to terrify the heiress.

"You're... You're not serious. Surely we can procure crutches of some sort? As unbecoming as that would be, I'd rather suffer being seen like that than miss lessons."

"If not, I promise to take notes for you," Blake vowed. "But for now, let's get you back to the room."

She slipped her arm around Weiss's waist and waited for the heiress to hold onto her, needing to drop her weapon for a moment. But when Blake tried to help her stand, Weiss was unable to find her balance on just one foot, and she slipped again. Blake darted forward to catch her and knelt back down.

"Ow..." Weiss hissed. "Ugh, what a pain this is going to prove to be."

"Literally," Blake sighed. "Sorry," she apologized; she should have known better than to think limping a hobbling Weiss all the way back to Beacon was a good idea. There was only one way. "I'm going to have to carry you."

Weiss coughed.

"E-Excuse me?" she sputtered.

"Unless you'd like to stumble back and take twice as long in addition to probably slipping more and making the sprain worse?"

Weiss seemed to consider for a moment, weighing her options until finally-

"Fine." She was stubborn, but not an idiot. But then she was faced with another issue. "How... How exactly are we going to do this?"

Blake blinked and considered for a moment.

"I think the traditional piggyback would be best. Unless you'd rather have the princess carry?" She could not stop herself from chuckling again. Weiss pouted, narrowing her eyes.

Blake really laughed out loud that time. "Sorry," she said again before turning around. "Just grab on."

Weiss muttered something under her breath before reaching for Myrtenaster. She slipped it into place at her hip before tentatively reaching her arms up around Blake's neck, holding onto one wrist to secure herself.

"O-Okay. Now what?"

"Have you... really never done this before?" Blake wondered, looking back over her shoulder.

"Of course not! When would I have gotten the chance to?"

"I guess you're right," Blake shrugged, her ears twitching in amusement. "You're going to have to move your legs a bit." She coaxed Weiss into the proper position, reaching her arms back to lock around her thighs. "Brace yourself. It might hurt a little," she warned.

Slowly, once she was certain Weiss was secure on her back, Blake stood, doing her best not to move the girl's bad leg. The heiress felt a new wave of pain scrambling up her shin and clung tighter to her girlfriend, and Blake offered a murmur of apology. She turned toward the direction of Beacon Academy and was about to head off until Weiss stopped her.

"Hold on. What about your book?"

Blake cast a glance over her shoulder to where her tome lay in the grass. She shrugged.

"It's fine. I'll come and get it tomorrow. I don't think any of the woodland creatures are going to steal it."

Weiss was about to protest, insisting she would hold onto it if need be. But she stopped herself and considered things; Blake loved her books dearly, and everyone in Beacon knew that. So for her to leave one of them behind in Weiss's favor...

She felt touched to say the least, and Weiss closed her mouth, resting her chin on Blake's shoulder instead. She closed her eyes, trying to ignore the throbbing in her ankle and focus on other things- the sunlight, the cool air, _Blake_...

When she finally relaxed and pushed all her busying thoughts aside, Weiss discovered how pleasant a few moments of silence could really be.

Blake, on the other hand, was more than a little self-conscious now that she could feel Weiss's breath tickling the side of her neck, the heiress's arms locked tightly around her collar. But Weiss was comfortably warm against her back, and she could feel the girl's heartbeat, slow and steady. Aside from when they curled up together for bed, this was probably the most intimate they had ever been, proximity-wise.

Once the school was in sight, Blake peeked back over her shoulder and was about to check up on the heiress. But before she could speak, she heard and felt that her girlfriend was asleep judging by her slowed breathing and pulse.

Making sure Weiss did not slip off, Blake quickened her pace just a bit until she finally reached the school.

Thankfully, automatic doors spared her from an ungraceful assortment of motions to get them both inside the building. A few students caught sight of them along the way, and Blake was relieved Weiss was asleep - had she been awake, she surely would have done nothing but fret about being seen in such a state.

She carried her through the familiar hallways until they reached the dorm room. It took a minute for Blake to fish out her scroll to get them in, and then push the door open without rousing Weiss.

Once inside the room, she instantly realized it was empty, and assumed Ruby and Yang were still out. But Blake thought it would be nice for herself and Weiss to have the room to themselves for a little while.

She reached the beds and bounced on her heels a bit, gently rocking Weiss to rouse her. "We're here," she murmured.

There was a small sound at her ear as her girlfriend moaned sleepily, cracking her eyes open and seeming to remember the position she was in.

"Oh. I see..." She sounded almost reluctant to be put down, and Blake chuckled.

The Faunus girl turned around and slowly lowered Weiss onto her bed. Weiss removed Myrtenaster from her sash and placed it leaning at the foot of her bed with a sigh. "At least those two blabbermouths aren't here. I could do with a nap, I think."

Blake knelt and pulled down the zippers of Weiss's boots before gradually sliding them off for her.

"Not yet," she said when she had finished and stood up again. "You've been training all day. You should cool off."

"You expect me to shower in this condition?" Weiss aimlessly ran her fingers through her hair, removing her tiara and ponytail in the process. "I don't think I'd do well on one foot."

Blake knew she was right, and she hardly liked the idea of Weiss stumbling and falling in the shower.

"I'll run a bath for you," she decided. "So for now just stay still."

Weiss nearly opened her mouth to protest, but opted not to at the last second. She _did_ feel grimy, and a bath was not sounding too terrible.

"Fine," she consented.

Blake gave a small smile.

"I'll be done in a few minutes." She wrapped an arm around Weiss's shoulders and kissed the top of her head. Although she pouted a bit, Weiss hugged her midsection in return before Blake pulled away.

When Blake went off to the bathroom, Weiss leaned back on her hands and looked up at the underside of Ruby's bed, kicking her good foot out as she moved the injured one more experimentally. The pain was no better, and she sighed in knowing it would likely take her aura a few more days to heal it, like Blake had guessed earlier.

When the Faunus girl had finished running the warm water for the heiress's bath, she went back into the room to fetch Weiss, slinging her arm around her shoulders and helping her over step by step. Blake expressed her concerns, but Weiss insisted she would be just fine disrobing by herself.

"Okay," Blake nodded. "But if you need me – if something happens – I'll be right outside. Don't hurt yourself, okay?"

"The worry is appreciated, but I'll be just fine," Weiss vowed. She kissed Blake's cheek for good measure. The taller girl let her lean against the sink before letting her go and leaving the bathroom, sending one last glance behind her to make sure Weiss was alright.

Blake closed the door behind her and quickly went to her drawers to pull out her own sleepwear. Once she had changed, she went immediately back to the bathroom door, sitting down and leaning her back against it, ears perked high as she listened for any signs of distress from inside.

She could hear the water splashing softly against the edges of the tub and felt relief wash over her when she knew Weiss had made it there without a hitch. Still, she remained on high alert, ready to jump at even the slightest sound that might indicate Weiss was in trouble.

Weiss knew her girlfriend all too well, and suspected she would be just outside the door. Submerged up to her collar with her bad foot on the edge of the bath, Weiss looked toward the door and spoke up:

"You don't have to worry about me, Blake. I'm not that helpless."

Blake jolted a bit when Weiss called her out, and she chuckled a bit nervously.

"Sorry. But I'll stay here until you're finished."

"Fine," came the reply.

Knowing she had an audience now, Weiss decided to make it worth Blake's wile. The heiress began to sing softly, her voice echoing about the tiled walls of the room, carried out alongside the lapping of the slightly-disturbed water.

Blake's keen ears picked up on her voice immediately, and she closed her eyes, letting the words sink into her skin, wrap around her heart. She loved it when Weiss sang.

The moments passed on, and Blake leaned her head back, feeling as though she might fall asleep soon.

But just before she reached the point of no return, Weiss finished her song with a small sigh.

Reopening her eyes, Blake heard the splashing of water as Weiss tried to get up, and the Faunus girl went back into her attentive mode. Weiss was making little grunts of effort again, and the waves kept flowing, as though the heiress was trying multiple times to stand.

"Weiss?"

"I'm fine!"

Blake rolled her eyes at how stubborn she was.

"If you need help-"

"I said I'm fine!"

Blake waited, counting down the seconds until-

"...Blake?"

"I'll be right there." The Faunus girl got to her feet, ears twitching in amusement.

"H-Hold on! Let me get a towel at least..." There was a bit of shuffling about as Weiss managed to drag a clean towel from a pile on the floor. She wrapped it around herself just for the sake of making herself decent; she could use another one to dry off with later. "Alright..."

When she heard her cue, Blake opened the door and stepped inside, noticing how clumsily Weiss had rolled the towel around herself underwater.

"You're grinning like Yang," Weiss informed her, cheeks red, and probably not just from the heat of the bathwater alone.

"Sorry," Blake said, not sounding so at all.

She went to the bath and bent down to Weiss who had lifted her arms up, reaching for her. Blake thought her own cheeks were probably red from seeing such an adorable image.

Blake wrapped her arms around Weiss's back, waiting for the heiress to curl her hands around her shoulders before Blake slowly, slowly lifted her up out of the water. Weiss found her balance on her good leg, keeping the other suspended in midair as she leaned on Blake for support.

When it came time to step out of the bath, Blake tightened her grip.

"_Easy_..." she coaxed. "No rush."

Weiss obeyed and moved herself with care, letting Blake lift her up a bit until she was on solid, dry ground again.

"There. Do you need help changing?" Blake asked.

"It's fine..." Weiss muttered.

Blake knew the heiress had a certain level of modesty she liked to uphold, and Blake respected that. She started leading Weiss back over to the sink again, but as they went, she felt her girlfriend's towel coming undone and slipping down her back. Weiss squeaked and clung tighter to her.

"D-Don't look!"

"It's okay," Blake said calmly, finding the ends of the towel and folding them securely back together. Weiss relaxed against her, and limped the rest of the way to the sink before finally letting go of Blake.

"Thank you," she murmured. "When I... insist on changing in the stalls rather than the locker rooms, Yang always hounds me. 'It's not like it's anything we've never seen before!' or 'Oh, wouldn't want anyone to see your bare shoulders, huh?' That girl has no sense of delicacy..." she sighed.

Blake grimaced a bit, perfectly able to imagine her partner saying those things.

"She's an idiot sometimes," she agreed. "I'll make sure to scold her about it next time I get the chance." Weiss's only response was an appreciative smile. "You're good from here?" Blake checked, finding a dry towel and handing it to her.

"Yes. I'll let you know otherwise."

"Okay." Blake brushed the smaller girl's bangs aside and pecked a kiss on her cheek.

She then left the bathroom once more, still vigilant and listening, making sure Weiss did not slip.

A few minutes later she was called back inside, and Blake found her girlfriend properly dressed in her nightgown. Blake went to her once more and took up the usual position, slinging Weiss's arm across her shoulders.

She led her back to her bed, making sure she was seated before returning to the bathroom where she emptied the bath and dried up the few puddles on the floor. She tidied up a bit before grabbing the hair dryer, scurrying back to Weiss's bed. She plugged in the appliance and climbed up beside her, perching herself on her knees as she moved behind her back.

She turned the dryer on medium and began combing through Weiss's damp tresses with her free hand. Blake was not a fan of the hair dryer being used on herself due to her ears, but she loved taking care of Weiss like this.

Naturally, Weiss hardly minded. She sat with her posture erect and with her hands folded in her lap as Blake tended to her hair. She shivered a bit when she felt the girl's fingers gliding over her shoulder blades that were still a little sore from all her training.

Blake made sure to move the dryer around frequently; Weiss was one to overheat quickly, so she made sure not to keep the hot air near her skin for too long. Taking her time, Blake continued to run her free fingers through the length of the girl's alabaster locks, smoothing out any knots carefully, tracing trails down her back.

Spoiling Weiss was probably her favorite thing to do, and this time since she was injured, the heiress could not refuse it. It was a bit embarrassing for Weiss, but it made Blake happy, and she knew she would reciprocate unto her girlfriend once she was able to.

Therefore, Weiss closed her eyes, relaxed her shoulders, and allowed Blake to fuss over her. Only when Blake noticed the back of Weiss's neck was a bit pink from all the hot air did she turn off the dryer. She unplugged it and ran it back to the bathroom before returning to her prior position, playing gently with Weiss's hair.

As her knuckles brushed against the heiress's back, she noticed Weiss stiffen ever so slightly, and that was how Blake got her next idea. She placed her hands on Weiss's shoulders and slowly began to make kneading motions with her fingers.

Weiss's eyes flew open with a bit of a start.

"Blake? Ah..." She could not help the contented sigh as her girlfriend brushed over a particularly sore spot.

"You've been training nonstop all week. I think you deserve a massage," Blake justified herself. She brushed the pads of her fingers in little circles over Weiss's shoulder blades, then rubbing her palms up and down her sides.

Weiss could not stop the little sounds slipping past her lips, chirps and squeaks and sighs anyone would have expected from Ruby rather than the Schnee heiress. With each one, Blake smiled a little wider, finding them adorable and encouraging her to continue.

Weiss felt as though she was melting, but not from heat for once. Her tense muscles relaxed and went limp under Blake's magical touch. "Bla~ke..." she sighed blissfully.

This was undoubtedly the most beneficial injury she had ever suffered, she decided.

She heard Blake chuckle as she continued her massage with unflagging fervor. Her fingers ran up Weiss's sore ribs and took care of every ache she had been feeling on her back all day.

When at last the final bit of soreness vanished from her body, Weiss leaned back into Blake's arms and exhaled a long breath that was nothing short of lethargic. The Faunus girl welcomed the contact, moving up and wrapping her arms around Weiss's stomach, her front pressing to Weiss's back.

"I hope you feel better," Blake murmured, resting her chin on the girl's shoulder and kissing Weiss's cheek as best she could. To show her gratitude, Weiss turned her face, snaking one hand to the back of the Faunus girl's head to bring her nearer.

"You... are a life saver," she hummed before pressing a long kiss to her lips.

Instantly, a soft rumble rose in Blake's chest as she returned the contact, tugging Weiss closer to her until she was seated snugly in her lap. She rubbed her hands in soothing circles over her girlfriend's stomach as Weiss pulled her down to her.

When they parted, Weiss was smirking a little, amused by the purr Blake had let slip. But that Faunus girl did not care anymore; she was too happy to be bashful.

And evidently Weiss was, too.

The heiress closed her eyes as Blake kissed her scar lovingly, with such softness that conveyed to Weiss just how deeply she was cared for.

When she pulled back, Blake spoke once more.

"We should nap," she decided.

"I wholeheartedly agree."

Keeping her arms around Weiss's waist, Blake gingerly assisted her in sliding her legs up onto the bed. She helped Weiss move herself up to the pillow and laid her down on her left side, keeping the pressure off her bad foot by keeping her good one on the bottom.

Blake laid on her right side to face her; it would be far too much trouble to pull down the blankets and get underneath, so they settled for lying on top.

Weiss breathed out and pulled Blake close to her, hands running through her soft, onyx hair before reaching up to her ears. She let her fingernails scratch the thick fur, feeling the vibrations of Blake's purr grow stronger against her chest.

Keeping her arms around the heiress's back, Blake burrowed her face into the crook of her neck, squirming contentedly as Weiss tended to her ears.

"You've spoiled me far too much today," Weiss declared. "Now it's your turn."

She kept one hand at Blake's ears as the other traveled down her back, rubbing up and down firmly. Blake all but whimpered, curling into her more, giving Weiss better access to her ears.

She lost track of time for a while.

Only when the purr in her throat started to become scratchy did Weiss finally stop, letting her rest. Blake let out a sigh, pulling away briefly to move her face back up to her girlfriend's.

"You're too good to me." She kissed the bridge of Weiss's nose.

"I believe that's _my_ line," Weiss retaliated with a peck to the cheek.

"Well, of course I hope you'll be healed up soon, but I can't wait to take care of you again tomorrow," Blake purred.

Weiss pressed one last kiss to her lips.

"Thank you again, Blake. You've done more than enough. Get some rest for now."

"You, too."

Weiss nodded and closed her eyes, but not before kissing the girl's Faunus ears one more time each.

"I love you," she breathed.

"Love you, too."

Blake returned to her previous position, laying her head over Weiss's heartbeat, listening.

The rhythm lulled her to sleep before long, and Weiss soon followed, enveloped in Blake's warmth, and so very grateful to have her.

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**A/N: I've done Monochrome fluff before, done hair drying and cuddling and spoiling before and hurt ankles. If you're still not tired of its repetitiveness by now, I applaud you.**

**Please review!**


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